COUNTRYnews
News and views from around the countryside
CONCERN OVER GAME REARING DECISION The Countryside Alliance has branded Defra’s new code of practice for game rearing, tabled before Parliament recently, ‘illogical, inconsistent and ignorant’ and warns it poses a serious threat to game farming and shooting in the UK.
Shooting groups, including
the Alliance, the Game Farmers Association and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, have been working with Defra to produce a consistent and workable code, but a series of changes made at the last minute have caused uproar across the shooting industry. In particular the code restricts the introduction of breeding stock into laying fl ocks; condemns the vital and harmless use of bits and imposes arbitrary stocking and density limits. Alliance Campaigns Director Rob
Gray said: ‘The Government has produced a code that fl ies in the face of evidence and the opinion of its own animal welfare advisors, the Farm Animal Welfare Council.’
Summer Auction The annual British Deer Society Summer
Oldest osprey lays again
The UK’s oldest breeding female osprey, which returned to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve in March for the 20th consecutive year, has astounded wildlife experts once again by producing her fi rst egg of the breeding season. The 25-year-old bird, whose age raised doubts about her fertility, was spotted protectively hunched over an egg by wildlife watchers who have been following the drama of this year’s breeding season live online by logging on to
www.swt.org.uk to enjoy close up images from SWT’s osprey nest cam. These images are also streamed live to a big screen at the SWT’s Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre. Ospreys live an average of eight years and are estimated to produce 20 eggs during that time. The lifespan and reproductive abilities of this individual osprey are considered ‘remarkable’ by wildlife experts. Emma Rawling, the SWT Perthshire Ranger appointed to protect
the osprey during the breeding season, thanks to funding from SITA Tayside Biodiversity Fund, said: ‘We are jumping for joy here at Loch of the Lowes and from the comments on our blog those watching with us online are as delighted as we are. This individual bird is truly a wonder of nature.’
Above: The male osprey lands at the nest. Inset: The oldest breeding female osprey.
Auction will begin on 23 May and will run for two weeks. Hosted by the Ebay Charity section, bids can be made online when the auction goes live or by postal bidding. There are over 100 lots including access to private stalking, fi shing and shooting not generally available to buy. Many other sporting opportunities are up for bid including sailing, holidays, equipment and fi ne dining. All proceeds from the auction support the education and research activities of the Society.
www.bds.org.uk
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